9-11: Ten Years Later…A Reflection

Ten years ago…the world as we knew it changed forever. Terrorists set out to destroy the American Way of Life by using our own inventions against us. They first crashed two jets into World Trade Center’s Twin Towers and we all saw in horror as they collapsed. But these vile men were not done yet. The terrorists used another jet to crash into the Pentagon causing a huge explosion. Finally, the final jet crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania before it have smashed into an unknown target in our nation’s capital.

Sometime during the day, I believe people will be sharing their “Where were you when the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center fell?” story. The “Where were you when” question always lead to an interesting story. I always asked my older family members and friends about where were they during certain historical events. I loved the responses I got when I asked them: “Where were you when Pearl Harbor was attacked?” “Where were you when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated?” “Where were you when Neil Armstrong landed on the Moon?” or “Where were you when John Lennon died?” I believe my peers and I who were born in the late 1980s and early 1990s will have stories to tell when our future children and grandchildren ask us about September 11.

Here’s my “Where were you when the Twin Towers fell?” story:

I was in seventh grade at Oxford Middle School and I just started third hour 7th Grade Gym with Coach Spillman and Coach Durick’s P.E. class. After my classmates and I changed into our gym clothes, we walked to Oxford’s track. It was there that both teachers read the letter that Oxford’s principal wrote that stated that terrorists crashed passenger jets into both of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. There was a collective gasp across the field where my fellow students sat and I immediately thought: “Are my loved ones in New York alright?” “What’s going to happen to my grandma’s travel plans when she returned to Boston?” During our run across Oxford’s track, my classmates expressed their shock about the events that unfolded. But we were not prepared for what happened next.

After my gym class, I headed to Spanish, where our teacher Mr. Myers allowed us to watch the news to see the events unfold. The first time the network played the video of the World Trade Center Towers falling, the classroom said a collective: “OH MY GOD!” This was the first time in my life that I felt utterly scared and expected the sky to go from sky blue to blood-red. (Okay…so the sky did not turn blood-red…. I admit I was being too dramatic for 13-years-old.)

When school got out, my mother picked up my brother and I and we headed over to my cousin’s house to celebrate his birthday. Before we got over there, all of us decided that we were not going to think about this travesty and focus on my cousin who turned five that day. After my family helped celebrate my cousin’s birthday, we returned home where my brother and I completed our homework and continued to watch the developments on the news.

After that day, our world changed forever. But we won’t give up hope…we rose up as a country to unite against the evil that was dead set to see the Untied States destruct. WE PROVED THEM WRONG! The United States is still standing and we persevered through the deadly curve ball that was thrown at us.

Before I go, I have one piece of advice for you: take time out of your day to reflect and remember those who fell during the attacks and those who continue to defend the United States.